As long as there are stories about the dangers associated with the smoking-cessation drug Chantix, there will be references to Carter Albrecht, who was on the drug the night he was shot to death on September 3. Take, for instance, this story from the Los Angeles Times posted this afternoon, about the Federal Aviation Administration today banning pilots and air traffic controllers from taking Chantix. That's because the Pennsylvania-based nonprofit Institute for Safe Medication Practices has released a study detailing "multiple safety problems" associated with the drug.
Indeed, the white paper lists "a wide spectrum of injuries, including serious accidents and falls, potentially lethal cardiac rhythm disturbances, severe skin reactions, acute myocardial infarction, seizures, diabetes, psychosis, aggression and suicide." Which is what Carter's roommate, bandmate and best friend Danny Balis said way back in September, before the government began paying attention. And the Los Angeles Times reiterates today: "Chantix gained notoriety last fall when a Dallas-area rock musician named Carter Albrecht was shot to death as he pummeled a neighbor's door in the middle of the night. Albrecht's family and his girlfriend blamed the 34-year-old musician's outburst on his taking Chantix." --Robert Wilonsky
Did the LA Times mention how many drinks he had before he started beating his girlfriend?
Posted at: May 21, 2008 7:03 PM